More than 1,800 teens will descend on Atlanta March 21-24 for Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 46th National Keystone Conference, sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens.

The annual conference is one of the largest, most established youth leadership conferences in the country, and the most anticipated among Boys & Girls Club teens.

Themed “ATL—All Teens Lead,” the National Keystone Conference will take place as teen leadership is needed now more than ever in the U.S. Statistics show that more than 1 in 4 students fails to graduate from high school each year; 1 in 3 kids is overweight or obese; and the teen unemployment rate is at a record high. To address these and other challenges, Keystone Conference participants will discuss solutions and develop action plans for addressing the most pressing issues facing youth in their local Clubs and communities.

During the action-packed conference, teens will hear from a wide array of motivational speakers and entertainers, including musical performances by recording artist and actress Jordin Sparks; hip hop recording artist B.o.B; and pop group OMG Girlz. Motivational sessions will feature rap and hip hop pioneers Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC, Doug. E. Fresh and DJ Spinderella of Salt-n-Pepa; professional skateboarder Preston Pollard; and WWE wrestler and actress Eve Torres.

Teens will also volunteer throughout metro Atlanta; participate in interactive workshops on everything from bullying prevention, financial literacy and college preparedness to robotics, golf and movie making; and make time for fun through various social activities.

“Boys & Girls Clubs of America believes a critical step to ensuring success for teens is to actively engage them and empower them to lead through initiatives like the Keystone Conference,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “We are excited to partner with the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens on another memorable learning and motivational experience for Boys & Girls Club teens.”

“The Taco Bell Foundation for Teens has supported the National Keystone Conference for more than 15 years, and we are proud of the positive impact this event has had on so many young lives,” said Regina Borda, managing director, Taco Bell Foundation for Teens. “It is our hope that by providing experiences like these, we can inspire and enable more teens across the country to achieve Mas, starting with high school graduation.”

For more information about the National Keystone Conference, or to request press credentials, email Jetaun Adkins at jadkins@bgca.org or Kinetra Joseph at kjoseph@bgca.org.

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